43. THE CARMELITE FRIARS OF IPSWICH
The Carmelite or White Friars seem to have
been established at Ipswich in 1278, for their
settlement here was contemporary with that at
Winchester, which took place at that date. In
that year a provincial chapter of the Carmelites
was held at Norwich, and there seems good reason
to believe that the founding of a house in the
second great town of East Anglia was determined
at that chapter, and the members of the new
community chosen from those of Norwich. (fn. 1)
They were established on land that eventually
extended from St. Stephen's Lane to Queen
Street on the south side of the Butter Market.
The first record of the extension of the site
occurs in 1297, when licence was granted for
the Carmelite friars of Ipswich to enclose a lane
called 'Erodesland,' 26 perches long and 8 ft.
broad, for the enlargement of their dwellingplace. (fn. 2)
Pardon was granted to the Carmelites of
Ipswich in December, 1344, for having acquired
in fee, without licence from Edward I, various
small plots of land adjoining their area for
enlarging the conventual buildings and church, (fn. 3)
and in 1321 a further extension of their buildings was begun, for in that year the prior
obtained licence to acquire twelve small plots
of adjacent land for that purpose. (fn. 4) Thomas le
Coteler was licensed in 1333 to alienate to the
priory of Mount Carmel an adjacent messuage
for the enlargement of their house, (fn. 5) and Thomas
de Lowdham gave a further small plot of adjoining land in 1377. (fn. 6)
The last-known enlargement of their premises
occurred in 1396, when John Reppes, the prior,
purchased two messuages from John Warton and
Margaret his wife for the sum of 100 marks. (fn. 7)
Ipswich was often chosen for the meetings of
the provincial chapters of the White Friars, so
that it may be fairly assumed that the house was
of sufficient size soon after its foundation to
accommodate a large number of visitors. At
the chapter held at Ipswich in 1300, William
Ludlyngton, then prior of the Ipswich House,
was elected provincial. In 1312 the provincial
chapter elected John Berkhamstead, prior of
Ipswich, provincial. Several other friars of this
house attained, from time to time, to the honour
of provincial; among them were John Polsted
in 1335, and John Kynyngham in 1393.
The conventual church was rebuilt in the
latter part of the fifteenth century. It was
consecrated by Friar Thomas Bradleyce (alias
Scrope), bishop of Dromore, a man noted for
his special sanctity, in 1477.
This friary was celebrated for the number of
learned men who were its members. Thomas
Yllea, a preacher and writer of merit, entered
religion at the time when his father was prior;
he was for some time in Flanders, but died at
Ipswich in 1390. John Polsted studied at
Oxford, and was provincial from 1335 till his
death in 1341; he wrote more than twenty
works, and was buried at York. Friar John of
Bury St. Edmunds rendered this house celebrated
by his erudition, eloquence, and piety; he chiefly
wrote commentaries on the Holy Scriptures, and
died at Ipswich in 1350. John Paschall, of
Suffolk, graduated at Cambridge from this house
in 1333; he was consecrated bishop of Scutari
in 1344 as suffragan bishop of Norwich diocese,
but in 1347 was translated to Llandaff. He
was a voluminous writer, and several volumes of
his sermons are extant.
Friar Richard Lavingham is said to have
written ninety volumes, and Bale considers his
literary activity almost miraculous; he died at
Bristol in 1383. John Kynyngham, provincial
from 1393 till his death in 1399, did credit to the
Ipswich friary as a writer of many works. Prior
John Barmyngham, who died in 1449, Doctor
of both Oxford and Paris, was considered one of
the most enlightened scholars of each of those
universities. Nicholas Kenton, provincial from
1444 to 1456, 'shone so as a historian, poet,
philosopher, theologian, and orator,' that he was
appointed chancellor of the university (Cambridge)
in 1445.
John Bale, elected prior of Ipswich in 1533,
joined the order at Norwich when only twelve
years of age. It is generally said that he broke
his vows and married in 1534; but his marriage
must have been some years later, for he was
writing as prior of this monastery in 1536. He
held the bishopric of Ossory from 1553 until
his death in 1563. In all his virulent and coarse
writings against his former co-religionists, Bale
had the grace to deal gently with his former
order of the Carmelites, and evidently esteemed
the learning that characterized various members
of the house over which he was for a short time
prior. (fn. 8)
The Carmelites of Ipswich were suppressed
by the ex-friar Richard Ingworth, then suffragan
bishop of Dover, in November, 1538, as is
known from his letter about various friaries
addressed to Cromwell. (fn. 9) Earlier in the year,
'the petition of the Carmelyttes of Ipsewich
supplicacion to the Lorde Cromwell moste
piteously lamenting' set forth, on behalf of the
prior and his co-brethren of their 'poore religious
house,' that Dr. Ingworth, as Cromwell's deputyvisitor, had confiscated the sum of £28 13s. 4d.,
owing to them for tenements in Ipswich, which
they had been compelled to sell through extreme
poverty. They desired, in their simplicity, Cromwell's assistance. (fn. 10) About the same date Cromwell
received a strongly-worded begging appeal from
one Sir John Raynsforth, asking for the gift of
the house of the Ipswich White Friars. (fn. 11)
The site was granted to Charles Lambard, of
Ipswich, in October, 1539. (fn. 12)
Weever mentions the following among the
more important burials in this church:—Sir
Thomas de Lowdham and his son Sir Thomas,
both knights, and John de Loudham, esquire;
Margaret Coldvyle, and Gilbert Denham, esquire,
and Margaret his wife, who was a daughter of
Edward Hastings. Also the following of this
order:—John Wilbe, 1335; John Hawle, papal
chaplain, 1433; John Barmyngham, 1448-9;
Richard Hadley, 1461; and John Balsham,
bishop of Argyle, 1425. (fn. 13)
Priors of the Carmelite Friars of Ipswich
Richard de Yllea, c. 1280
William Ludlyngton, occurs 1300, &c.
John Berkhamstead, occurs 1312
John Reppes, occurs 1396
John Barmyngham, c. 1440-8-9
John Ball, 1533